Embracing the Season: Your Guide to Hating Summer Less

Oh! Crap, summer is here. In matter of fact, June 21st will mark the first official day of the summer solstice, and <sarcasm>I couldn’t be any happier for summer’s arrival</sarcasm>. Whether you share my enthusiasm for the season’s annual visit or whether you’re like normal people, getting that swimming suit body you’ve been promising yourself since 1999, summer is here and we’re going to have to live with it. Amman in the summer is a completely different experience than any other season, buckle up and get ready, your guide to embracing summer is here.

When you are trying to tan into a different ethnicity while playing volleyball in Aqaba or Tala Bay, I’m usually crammed into a corner with three ACs running in the room while waving the flag of Norway – Photo courtesy of Jake Rome.

In temperate regions such as ours, we notice that the sun is higher in the sky throughout the day and its rays strike earth at a more direct angle, causing the efficient warming we call Summer. In the winter, just the opposite occurs: the sun is at its southernmost point and is low in the sky. Its rays hit the Northern Hemisphere at a tilted angle, creating the weak winter sunlight and the very few hours of sun that we experience in this country.

Vegetation in the early days of summer on an ancient grain mill inside the Roman Quarter of Gerasa – Photograph taken by Ibrahim Al-Saady.

Amman, is home to the crossroads of two very distinct climates; the Mediterranean and the high altitude’s Cold Semi-Arid Climate. This causes the differences that we see in the capital between night and day, and winter and summer, often eradicating Spring and Autumn into a couple of weeks, at best.

No longer do you have to live in fear of random blizzards or Accuweather’s horrible predictions. Photo courtesy of Yoto Hara

For many people summer time brings about changes – the children are out of school, vacations are scheduled and you’ll most likely find yourself smoking hookah in a random café in Abdoon or Jabal Amman in the presence of hundreds of tourists and Jordanians alike.

A very colourful Amman goes extra colourful in the period of summer (and by extra colourful, I mean extra loud, extra crammed, extra chaotic and extra fun) – Photo courtesy of Mahmood Salam.

For some, work slows down during these months. For others it may stay the same, but having the children home can add an extra layer of complexity. Things may not feel as predictable. While traveling is fun, and the idea that you’ll probably end up cruising Istanbul’s TaksimMeydanıfor hours is relaxing and comforting, it isn’t unusual to return home more tired than before.

The longer and lazier days of summer may not be easy but your life will probably feel less chaotic. Even adults tend to adopt a “school’s out!” attitude in the summer. That’s why this is a perfect time to improve your health and your lifestyle.

The first step to boost your health would be to improve your diet; give your body a berry boost. Have a cup of mixed fresh berries; blackberries, blueberries or strawberries, every day. They’ll help you load up on antioxidants, which may help prevent damage to tissues and reduce the risks of age-related illnesses in the long run. Blueberries and blackberries are especially antioxidant-rich. A big bonus: Berries are also one of the richest fruits in fibres, which helps keep cholesterol low and even boost your digestive system and metabolism.

After a crunching final semester, Adam Moses kicks back and relaxes amongst the green and the clean air. Too bad we had to drive 45 minutes away from Amman to find clean air – Photograph taken by Ibraheem Al-Saady

The fourth step is to find ways to beat the smog; it’s no secret that Amman is receiving more and more haze and smog episodes than it used to, due to the sudden increase in population and the rising car-culture. The winter fog of February is quickly replaced with the haze of July. Compared to the American Midwest’s summers where the scale is more-often-than-not tipping at 45 C° (or even more), the 30 C° Amman averages in the summer isn’t that problematic. The smog here, however, can make life a bit more difficult.

It’s not unheard of to witness the entire city being engulfed by a thick layer of smog in the early months of summer. Photo courtesy of Magnus Halsnes

Although not as bad as that of Beijing and maybe slightly better than that of LA’s, the air quality of Amman can be problematic for those who have asthma.

If you’re blessed with a view of the Amman skyline like I am, learn this tip: if you can’t see the Jordan Gates because it’s behind a layer of smog, then it’s probably better to stay inside.

Every mall or major restaurant that I’ve been to offers clean and air-conditioned air (Hashem doesn’t count); attend those places when the episodes of air pollution are just too much to handle if you end up going out, and until you get used to it like the locals, do yourself a favour and do some indoor working out, which brings me to my next point…

Exercise, this is probably the most important tip to enrich your summer, either join a nearby gym and get your cardio on a few times a week or walk. If you live in the western side of the city you’ll quickly realise how automobile dominant it is. Some of the most pedestrian-friendly areas of the entire Metro region are located within Central Amman, the old downtown (or City Centre as officially known), Jabal il Weibdeh (or Löweibeh as colloquially known) and Jabal Amman, (super special thanks to the city for destroying the Wakalāt St., the last pedestrian friendly zone in West Amman). If you’d rather do it with others it’s advisable to join the quite popular Fast Walk groups; they’re organised, safe and free.

Now’s the time to catch up on all the Ultimate Frisbee you missed in college. Photo courtesy of Amman Ultimate Frisbee

Getting active in the city is an ideal thing to do in the summer; the possibilities are endless. You can join a Yoga group such as Amman Chakras Booster or One with Nature. You can try the Amman Bicycle PoloClub (that’s exactly as it sounds), join a local Ultimate Frisbee club or even dip your toes into the artistic and exotic Afro-Brazilian martial-arts/dancing of Capoeira offered via Capoeira Amman. These upcoming few months are a great excuse to give your mind, body and spirit a boost, Amman Style.

Adam Mookie, local meditation instructor, gazes upon a tree, in harmony with nature, summer and earth. Photo taken near Gadara in Northern Jordan

Meanwhile in Lweibdeh, Rick is accepting donations to fund his summer seasonal migration to the Norwegian section of the North Pole.

When Rick isn't saving the world, he can be observed in his natural habitat near Paris Circle in Löweibdeh, forcefully teaching Norwegian grammar to people who have zero interest in linguistics, trying to stage a stray-cat uprising against the trash collectors, or finding enough courage to ask the geekiest girl in his vicinity on a date, only to be shot down anyway. Rick and his imaginary husband, a Skyrim NPC, are expecting their third baby this summer.

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These talented people found the best rocky outcrops around Wadi Rum and performed the first highline in Jordan!

Highlining is a practice in balance that typically uses nylon or polyesterwebbing tensioned between two anchor points. Acrobats maintain their balance by positioning their centre of mass directly over their base of support, i.e. shifting most of their weight over their legs, arms or whatever part of their body they are using to hold them up.

When they are on the ground with their feet side by side, the base of support is wide in the lateral direction but narrow in the sagittal (back-to-front) direction. In the case of highwire-walkers, their feet are parallel with each other, one foot positioned in front of the other while on the wire. Therefore, a tightwire walker’s sway is side to side, their lateral support having been drastically reduced. In both cases, whether side by side or parallel, the ankle is the pivot point.

TOOT ARD (Strawberries) is a “mountain reggae” band from the majestic mountainside village of Majdal Shams in the Occupied Golan Heights/ Syria.

Their Lesseiz Passer documents say they are “Undefined” but they are sure they are 73% water and that MUSIC will lead them. Toot Ard has emerged as one of the most promising new bands in the Levant region. Singing in Arabic and weaving classical Arabic motifs into funky African inspired Reggae/ska grooves, they will make every audience laugh, dance, smile and imagine the many possibilities for a better future.